[1] The match was played on 23 November 2019 at the Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru,[2][3] between Brazilian team Flamengo and the defending champions, River Plate from Argentina.

This was the first Copa Libertadores final to be played as a single match at a neutral venue chosen in advance, replacing the previous home-and-away format.

[2] With the Argentine and Brazilian cities banned by CONMEBOL for this bidding,[10] three national associations had officialized interest in hosting the 2019 Copa Libertadores final.

[14] Large street protests in Chile began on 14 October 2019, involving millions of protestors and resulting in the deaths of at least 24 people.

[15] The protests led to safety concerns for the teams that would play the match and their travelling fans, despite this CONMEBOL still considered Santiago as the venue.

The score was still 1-0 in the 89th minute, with River Plate seeking to finish off the game, when Flamengo's Arrascaeta won the ball from Lucas Pratto in his own half, and started a counter-attack by passing to Bruno Henrique.

The sudden reversal of fortune caused tempers to flare: Palacios kicked Bruno Henrique in the 95th minute, for which he received a red card.

The victory celebrations in Rio de Janeiro attracted tens of thousands of fans as the players rode in an open-top bus, but ended with clashes between riot police and spectators.

[29][30] Flamengo's two late goals to overturn a 0–1 deficit invited comparisons to the 1999 UEFA Champions League final, in which Manchester United defeated Bayern Munich in a similar fashion.